indifferent

http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060228&content_id=1328455&vkey=spt2006news&fext=.jsp&c_id=stl I especially like this part: "I have a bigger mouth than all of these youngsters, and I think that puts me at a distinct advantage," Rolen quipped. "Volume, that's it. Quantity, not quality. The more you get in your mouth, the better you're going to be." Rolen's biggest bubble, using Big League Chew gum, was measured by teammate Sidney Ponson at 11 1/2 inches. That outdid the top kids competitor, Ashley Perry of Moore Haven, Fla. Rolen's got a dry sense of humor. The other day he said he was "sweating like a ..., well not a pig, because pigs don't sweat, that's why they wallow in the mud." (paraphrasing)

That'd be OK, except it's "losing" and the Cubs finished approx. 17 games out in the Central? I can see why Buster would side on the team with that degree of margin. Honestly, do Cubs fans themselves feel they've made up the margin with their offseason moves (vs. ours)? It seems like it, once again, comes down to the health of the Cubs starting pitching.

We've discussed this topic here (sorry, not as sophisticated as most). viewtopic.php?t=28965

Nope. Do we get Reyes in this deal? Meat & Potatoes makes a great point. Why does our organization continue to hold this guy back? Everyone outside of Carp and perhaps Mulder and Suppan, deserves a challenge from Reyes.

I just saw the video footage, that was hilarious! Koby (who's 19) stuck his tongue out and spun out of the batter's box. But he did take him yard. RC's comment was he wished he would have seen his son in the third round when he had his stuff together.

Does anyone use Rotowire as a source? I tried their 10 day free trial membership and I liked that you could plug in the parameters of your league and get their cheat sheet. It changed pretty dramatically when you put in BA vs. OPS for instance. Just wanted to see if anyone else used this site for fantasy drafting and if it's worth the $.

I don't think I've really heard Hendry talk about extending Dusty's contract. The media keeps saying he should, and I believe Andy has talked the most about Jim and Dusty's contracts. But I would imagine any talk on this subject would satisfy Cards fans. I want Dusty to manage the Cubs forever. Of course you do. Me? I want Dusty to leave, TLR to decide to retire, and Jocketty to sign Dusty to a 10 year deal. Ah, but we'll still have Jocketty.

Perhaps off topic, but why so much confidence in Sheets or Wood vs. Rolen? I personally don't have a lot of confidence in either Rolen or Aramis playing 150 games this year. I want David Wright. :( Or Miggy Cabrera :( I actually like Wright better. Though I'd be happy with either one, of course. How come? I like Miggy's ability to play multiple locs and he is a better hitter and younger. Wright would probably do fine in the OF, too, so I don't count the positional advantage as much of one. Wright's first full season in the bigs compares favorably with Cabrera's. He's a more athletic guy, so I give him a higher ceiling than Cabrera. I like Wright's demeanor on the field better and think his approach to the game will serve him better over the long run. Why do you think Cabrera's such a better hitter? Their career lines are as follows: .302/.371/.524 .300/.366/.523 The only thing I'll give you as an edge for Cabera is the year younger. But they are both mere pups. Considering this seems to be a bit of a fantasy thread, I found this an interesting read...http://forums.stltoday.com/viewtopic.php?t=338530

Thanks for the feedback! I am in a 5x5 league, but it is head to head. You still have to win the categories though. I have Santana, Prior, Haren, Penny, etc. for starters.

Perhaps off topic, but why so much confidence in Sheets or Wood vs. Rolen?

So I've picked my team and I'm new to the Roto 5x5 format, but I only have two bonafide closers. I know a lot of other teams value closers and the SV category more than I do. If a team has three closers and I have two in a given week, am I doomed? There's only 30 closers to go around in a 12 team league so this is not going to happen that frequently. Just asking advice if someone plays three closers against me and I have predominantly starters, am I screwed?

Is he 28-years old again too? No, but he's healthy (they say), and I don't expect .314/34/124 but .300/30/100 and a gold glove isn't out of the question. If you add that to last years team, that's on heck of a boost. I hear people can still be productive at age 31. Clearly a case of "What have you done for me lately" and a touch of homerism at work here. Scott Rolen is not Mike Lowell and he never will be. If you're going to focus on one injury plagued season and let that color the remarkably consistent numbers that Rolen has put up, you should do so only because you question a player's ability to recover from a fully torn labrum. But if the healthy assumption holds true, there's no reason Rolen can't put up a season resembling Aram's and Ensberg's.

Thanks, Vance. I'm definitely thinking Heilman is the 5th starter since they traded Seo and Benson. He actually was told that already going into spring training (he's my friend's cousin), but that could change.

If your in your team's local market, it may not be worth it. If you like watching lots of baseball it is, but that is up to you. My wife laments that I'll watch a Cubs afternoon game, then at 6 PM start watching a game on the east coast. I may switch to a central time zone game or stay with the east coast game at 7...often flipping between innings to catch another game and see which are most exciting. At 9, I'll add a west coast game to the rotation. A day full of watching baseball...nothing beats it. I'm definitely going to do it, I remember last year thinking it would be worth it for just a handful of good games I missed. You just don't get as much value if you already get to see all of your home team games.

I'm still debating whether to purchase this if you're local to your teams market, although I hated not being able to see other games last year. I was hoping you'd get a glimpse of more spring training games, but I guess these are not televised anyway (the ones that aren't televised locally).

What's your take on whether the following pitchers will crack their team's starting rotation? Seems like F. Hernandez and M. Cain are locks. What about Liriano, S. Baker, Heilman, and Papelbon?

Where'd you get that pic, link?

I've said it before, but the media focuses entirely too much on offseason signings. It obviously gets boring focusing on health issues year in and year out, but that has more to do with it IMO.

Would it help if I told you you're probably better looking than Z?

Looking for a date, Vance :wink: ? Seriously though did you see the shirtless pic of himself he took in the mirror?

Oh yes, I forgot about the forum's favorite whipping boy. You have to admit it's become more difficult with the departure of Morris, Kline, Patterson, and Hawkins.

I can already tell Ponson is going inspire some real knee slapping humor for most Cub fans. Since Dusty doesn't count as a manager, I'll have to go with Kerry Wood, perhaps Neifi if he garners a lot of playing time.

Three consecutive weeks.

I'm sure this is of marginal interest to Cubs fans, but I'm heartened by Walker's comments and I think he can add value in ST. http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/cardinals/story/D73BDD7BFE83D09E862571150020F7FE?OpenDocument

Meh, Reyes is overrated. Let the best pitcher win the 5th spot, if that is Ponson than so be it. If Reyes is outpitched by Ponson, some stars will have aligned in a form I have never seen before. At this stage, it's all spec. but I can't see Ponson even coming close to outpitching Reyes. I agree, Reyes should win. However, I refuse to be close minded about Ponson. CFICT, I hope to give you the respect your posting here deserves. But I refuse to buy into this Ponson hype that is accorded to everyone that dons a Cardinal uniform, after the initial dismay. Ponson never was an elite pitcher and although his numerous alcohol-related arrests points to a reason, I'm shying away from this feel good story. The fact that he's even considered as competition for a starting spot and spring training will be the "showdown" is insulting to me and it should be insulting to Anthony Reyes. Hopefully that will prove motivating to Reyes and not de-motivating. As Wolf has said before, you can't teach healthy. That being said I'm not going to boo him on the mound if he happens to win the job over Reyes. I'm just going to wait for the other shoe to drop and lament Reyes' dwindling chances to prove himself while still with the Cards. indifferent, I repect your post and I happen to agree with many of your points however the Cardinals are in a win now mode and should go with whatever is working. I expect Reyes to win the job however I'm not ready to hand over the #5 spot if he comes in to spring training and stinks it up. Right now a lot of Cardinal Nation overrates Reyes potential for 06. His ceiling in the next couple of years is a #2 starter however right now he’s a rookie backend guy fighting for a spot. That isn’t insulting to Reyes, it’s just a fact. Question – What kind of numbers do you expect from Reyes? I certainly expect his ERA to be over 4. If he posts a 4.00 ERA, I wouldn't be disappointed. What do you expect out of Ponson and Marquis? Unlike the other two though, Reyes has far more upside. I'd say they both have a better chance of finishing over 4.00. The biggest risk with Reyes is he could hit a dead arm period because of his lack of innings. He's been well handled in the minors. There's no reason not to have Reyes in rotation IMO, stellar ST or not-so-stellar ST.